Friday Lineup Card: Walker Set To Debut

Hailing from Arcanum, Ohio, Clay is a proud graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He began writing for RotoWire in the fall of 2011, and now contributes to breaking news and NFL Draft content, in addition to his duties as assistant baseball editor.

Day-to-DayMiguel Cabrera, 3B, DET - (Abdomen) Exited Thursday’s game with discomfort.Robinson Cano, 2B, NYY - (Hand) Hopes to return to the lineup Friday.Dexter Fowler, OF, COL - (Knee) Expected to miss several days with soreness.Mike Moustakas, 3B, KC - (Illness) Reported feeling better Thursday and should be ready to start Friday against the Blue Jays.Mike Carp, OF, BOS - (Shoulder) Scratched from Thursday’s lineup.Wilkin Ramirez, OF, MIN - (Lower Leg) Diagnosed with a left shin contusion.Eduardo Nunez, SS, NYY - (Knee) Cleared of any structural damage by an MRI on Thursday.Samuel Deduno, P, MIN - (Shoulder) Left Thursday’s game after just three innings and will undergo an MRI on Friday.Cody Asche, 3B, PHI - (Hamstring) Held out of Thursday’s lineup with a strain.

Players on the DLDavid Wright, 3B, NYM - (Hamstring) Plans to return at some point this season.Jason Grilli, P, PIT - (Forearm) Scheduled to pitch an inning for Double-A Altoona on Saturday and then make back-to-back appearances with Triple-A Indianapolis early next week.Starling Marte, OF, PIT - (Finger) Took some swings in the team’s indoor batting cage Wednesday.Bobby Parnell, P, NYM - (Neck) Slated for a follow-up MRI in two weeks, at which point a decision on surgery will likely be made.Tony Cingrani, P, CIN - (Back) Threw on the field prior to Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals.Roy Oswalt, P, COL - (Hamstring) Completed a successful simulated game Tuesday.Corey Kluber, P, CLE - (Finger) Could rejoin the Indians following a simulated game Saturday.Travis Hafner, DH, NYY - (Shoulder) Recently resumed swinging a bat and hopes to take batting practice by the end of the week.Zoilo Almonte, OF, NYY - (Ankle) Hopes to return to full batting practice by the end of the week.David Phelps, P, NYY - (Forearm) Making progress, but hasn’t yet resumed throwing.Chris Nelson, 3B, LAA - (Hamstring) Hit the 15-day DL on Thursday with a strain.Derek Norris, C, OAK - (Toe) Progressing well and could play in a rehab game as early as Saturday.Lorenzo Cain, OF, KC - (Oblique) Still without a timetable for return.John Jaso, C, OAK - (Concussion) Could take batting practice next week.

OutOswaldo Arcia, OF, MIN - (Wrist) Remains sidelined but will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip.

Transactions - Players who have been demoted, called up, traded, released, you name it. We'll cover it here.

Oakland - With a three-run lead, two outs and just one man on in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Tigers, Grant Balfour’s 34th save of the season appeared to be in the bag. Three batters later, Torii Hunter smacked a three-run bomb to send Balfour home with the blown save and the loss. The four earned runs were a season-high for Balfour, and they inflated his ERA by nearly 70 points. As ugly as it was, Thursday’s blown save was just Balfour’s second of the year (and second since April 29, 2012), so it will likely end up being just a footnote in an otherwise great season.

Los Angeles Angels - Ernesto Frieri gave up a walk and a double in the ninth inning of Thursday’s game against the Rays, but escaped unscathed with his 28th save of the season. That makes it seven straight scoreless appearances for Frieri, who relinquished full-time closing duties earlier this month. Dane De La Rosa pitched in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game, but it looks like he and Frieri will continue to split time in the closer’s role moving forward. The 30-year-old De La Rosa just notched his second save of the season Tuesday.

Recommended PickupTaijuan Walker, P, SEA - The Mariners couldn't wait for roster expansion to get a glimpse at their top pitching prospect, as they brought Walker up Wednesday in anticipation of the 21-year-old making his first career major league start Friday. Walker made the jump to Triple-A earlier this year after posting a 2.46 ERA in 14 for starts at Double-A Jackson, and while he wasn't quite as sharp after his promotion (4.2 BB/9), the right-hander was able to miss bats (10.0 K/9) and remain effective (3.61 ERA). He'll get an Astros team in his debut that has struck out 1,252 times this season, the most in all of baseball, so while growing pains have to be expected, Walker has a great opportunity to make a fantasy impact right away.

Draftstreet will be running weekly freerolls for Rotowire fans throughout the entire MLB season. This free contest will be Pick 'em style drafting. The way Pick 'Em leagues work is you have 8 tiers of players and each tier will have players to choose from. All you have to do is select 1 player from each tier. There’s absolutely nothing to lose and it takes 5 minutes to build a team.